Chiefs explode on offense and win 35-28
Coach Edwards is finally figuring out that more players on his roster can make plays on offense. Damon Huard completed 17 of 25 passes for 312 yards and a TD. Larry Johnson had a monster game, carrying the ball 39 times for 155 yards (4.0 ypc) and 3 TDs! Johnson also caught 2 passes for 26 yards and a TD. Michael Bennett carried the ball 10 times for 38 yards (3.8 ypc) when Johnson needed a breather. WR Eddie Kennison had his best game of the season, catching 6 passes for 132 yards. TE Tony Gonzalez had his second huge game in a row with 6 receptions for 116 yards.
I know it sound funny, but the defense played pretty well despite allowing 28 points! The Chiefs stuffed the Seahawks running game, holding them to 47 yards on 18 carries (2.6 ypc). The Seahawks completed 15 of 30 passes for 193 net yards passing.
Yes, these weapons have always been there, it was just a matter of Herm utilizing them. He played this one well. He was throwing on 1st and 2nd down where people were expecting the run. He ran on 3rd and long when the defense was expecting a pass. He mixed it up well for this game. Herm needs to keep this in mind as the season continues. Gonzo is finally getting the ball. Kennison is stretching out the defense thanks to Gonzo and LJ. Now Sammie Parker just needs to get into the game and this offense will be fully clicking. Putting Kris Wilson as a fullback is ingenious because of his double threat ability. He is big as a lead blocker so he can push back those linebackers. He is also a good receiver with deceptive running skills, which catches the defense off guard. Most defenses don’t expect much from a fullback with regards to running or receiving the ball. Kris will take the heavy focus off of LJ, which is opening up holes cause they can’t stack the box just keying off on him when the flail pass is readily available anytime.
The defense played well. It wasn’t their fault for 14 of those points. Turnovers created those points and short yardage situations for Seattle. They are still very vulnerable in the secondary though. Again, they are getting burned deep just like I said they would. This trend is not going to stop either. I know that Ty fell down, but the fact of the matter is, he got burned and was not fast enough to keep up with the younger legs.
The Chiefs have so many weapons on offense, that they have no excuse not to use them all. I know that Edwards is still scared of his defense, but if you score on your drives….it helps much more than burning the clock.
Hopefully Edwards has realized that the Chiefs cannot sustain a minimal lead and expect the defense to preserve the win for them. The offense stayed aggressive against the Seahawks and barely managed to pull off a victory. He tried to go conservative against the Chargers and almost managed to blow that game. The offense is the Chiefs best defense for now because teams are learning to exploit our secondary.
Teams are going to take the Patriot’s approach and play the Chiefs the same way. If teams can’t run against us, they’ll just take what the defense will give them, and that’s the passing game.